(Getty)
The world’s fastest three-year-old fillies will be on display at Churchill Downs on Friday night, as the $1 million Grade-1 Kentucky Oaks serves as the appetizer for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
Here’s a complete look at everything you need to know to watch the anticipated race:
2017 Kentucky Oaks Viewing Info
Date: Friday, May 5, 2017
Start Time: The 13-race card on Friday starts at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Kentucky Oaks has a scheduled post time of 6:12 p.m. ET. You can read here for a complete schedule of races
TV Channel: NBC Sports Network. Coverage is from Noon to 3 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra, Sling TV, or DirecTV Now
Post Positions & Odds:
1. Ever So Clever: 20/1
2. Lockdown: 20/1
3. Mopotism: 20/1
4. Paradise Woods: 5/2
5. Jordan’s Henny: 30/1
6. Vexatious: 20/1
7. Farrell: 5/1
8. Sailor’s Valentine: 30/1
9. Wicked Lick: 30/1
10. Miss Sky Warrior: 9/2
11. Tequilita: 20/1
12. Daddys Lil Darling: 20/1
13. Abel Tasman: 5/1
14: Salty: 6/1
Also Eligible: Summer Luck: 30/1
The Favorite
Though there are several strong candidates, Paradise Woods is considered the favorite in this year’s Run for the Lilies. A quick look at last month’s Grade-1 Santa Anita Oaks, and it’s simple to see why that’s the case:
In that one, the Richard Mandella-trained horse jumped out to a significant lead by the first turn, continued to pull away and put on the after-burners down the final stretch to beat Abel Tasman–another strong contender in the Kentucky Oaks–by an astounding 11 3/4 lengths. It was a tantalizing performance–she earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure, the fastest for a three-year-old filly on dirt since 2013.
If Paradise Woods can put together another performance like that in the Oaks–and it doesn’t even need to be quite that dominant–there’s a good chance she’ll be heading to the Preakness or Belmont to compete with the boys in the next month.
